SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Howie Hawkins is seeking the Green Party nomination to run for New York governor again this year.

Hawkins challenged Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the 2010 race for governor.

He is a graveyard-shift United Parcel Service worker from Syracuse's South Side. He has run 20 times for local, state and federal offices.

Hawkins has never won.

But in the 2010 governor's race, Hawkins did accomplish his goal of bringing Greens into the same conversation as Democrats and Republicans. He was invited to participate in a debate televised statewide with Cuomo and challengers, including Republican Carl Paladino.

Howie Hawkins.File photograph

That race also won the Green Party an official ballot line for the next four years. Parties need their candidate for governor to win at least 50,000 votes to be recognized.

Hawkins won 59,906 votes - more than any other third-party candidate against Cuomo, who received 2,910,876 votes in 2010.

The Green Party first won a ballot line in 1998, when it ran Al Lewis, the actor who played Grandpa on "The Munsters." The party lost the status in 2002, when it ran the lesser-known Stanley Aronowitz.

This time, Hawkins said he hopes to draw support from both Democrats and Republicans unhappy with Cuomo.

"I think there are a lot of them, particularly public workers, teachers and their families and friends who don't like the priorities that Cuomo's put out," Hawkins said.

Because of his constant advocacy, Hawkins' issues in the governor's race are familiar.

He has so far been critical of Cuomo's campaign finance reform proposal, saying partial public financing "provides the illusion of change while maintaining the ability of the 1 percent to buy the candidates."

He wrote an essay after Cuomo's State of the State address called "Cuomo talks left, but walks right." Hawkins said Cuomo's tax reform package is "reactionary corporate welfare" and middle-class families will pay dearly for business tax cuts and StartUp NY tax-free zones.

Hawkins has a Facebook page for his race. The Green Party will nominate candidates in May. He said he is the only Green seeking the nomination.